Richard's favorite Android devices of 2014

What I enjoyed using the most in 2014

2014 was a pretty good year for Android powered, and related, devices. Smartphones, tablets and wearables all advanced to a stage genuinely above anything we'd seen before and whichever manufacturer you looked at there was a good chance you'd find a great phone.

The devices that came across my own desk surprised me a lot. I can honestly say that no truly bad phones came my way at all in 2014, and some of the ones that I enjoyed using the most were from some unlikely sources. So, here's the devices I enjoyed using the most from 2014.

My favorite Android phone — LG G3

Just as the LG G2 was my favorite phone from the 2013 crop of Android devices, the LG G3 was my favorite from 2014. It isn't without its faults – LG still needs to step up its game a little when it comes to software – but I'll readily admit I went to the launch event in London with high hopes.

And from the first moment I touched it I wasn't disappointed. Once again LG crammed a large display into a device easily manageable in one hand, and what a display. While being first to put a QHD display into a device looks great on paper, on the whole it is a joy to look at. There are a couple of color issues and some weird sharpening issue with text in certain places, but most of the time it's fantastic. And that screen doesn't destroy the battery life like many feared it might. The G3 rarely struggles to get through the day.

Round the back LGs laser-guided auto-focus helps the G3 become one of the very best cameras on any Android smartphone. In fact until the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 arrived, it was easily arguable the G3 was the best Android camera.

My other favorite Android phone — Huawei Ascend Mate 7

Huawei's second big device launch of 2014 is probably its finest yet. While the oversized smartphone isn't for everyone, the Ascend Mate 7 is a fine example of one. Great design and construction, immense battery life, a form factor that defies the size of the display, the Mate 7 is a well put together phone by any standards.

It also boasts the best implementation of a finger print scanner anywhere away from the iPhone. With a single touch you've unlocked the phone in the blink of an eye. And as with the Ascend P7 that came earlier in the year, it boasts a solid all round camera that will take great shots in most situations.

Huawei's software could still use some work, but it's taken a big step forward with the Mate 7. It's a big, metal phone, but it's one that I'm still using today. There's no substitute for an enormous battery, and it's the first huge phone I haven't put down.

My favorite budget Android phone — Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G

So, here's a bit of a wild card. With the recent successes of Xiaomi they're becoming a big player, even if you can't buy their phones in many places round the world. So, in the pursuit of doing this job as best I can, I imported the Redmi Note 4G. A budget offering – seriously, it cost me £127 including shipping from Hong Kong – that has recently gone on sale in India.

And it's absolutely incredible.

The mid-range hardware specs fade into nothing when you use the phone. It's smoother to use than some manufacturers – who will remain nameless – flasghip devices. MIUI is a deep, deep customization of Android. But you know what? Xiaomi makes it work. And work well. It's big, but light, and yes, it's going to be tough to use in some parts of the world, but it's the most impressed I've been with a low cost device since the Moto G.

It's also got a really nice 13MP camera. Not just nice for a cheap phone, nice for any phone. Xiaomi's approach to design and marketing may be questionable, but so long as they make phones this good, they've a bright future.

My favorite wearable — Xiaomi MiBand

It's a double whammy for Xiaomi. OK, the MiBand doesn't actually run Android, but it's a great accessory to an Android device. I imported it to the UK for not a lot of money and I've been happy with it since day 1. It's small, comfortable and boasts absolutely insane battery life. At 39 days since its last charge it still has 29% battery charge remaining. Take that Fitbit.

Its accuracy could be questioned at times, but for the more casual fitness/activity tracker, there's not much to dislike about it. It's cheap, works with any recent Android phone – and now even the iPhone, if you're partial – and tracks sleep, steps and running. You can get it in a range of different colors, but the biggest issue is still actually getting it. There are plenty of online retailers that will import them for you.

Reader comments

Richard's favorite Android devices of 2014

I have a questIon, is their any way a person could have more than one smartphone and activate which ever one they were using as their daily driver when ever they wanted yet have the same phone number? I'm just wondering because their are lots of cool products out there and I would like to experiment with a few of them

Oh wow! Really! Thanks! That makes total sense! So if I had a Droid Turbo, Note 4 and S6 (when it comes out) as long as those phones were Verizon compatible I could switch out by simply using the same removable SIM card. That's crazy cool

Hey, I'm actually from Africa m8,amd that comparison is a little old. How about the starting kids in America? The starving children and adults all over the world? I'm sure if you walk through any major city in your area you'll find them tucked out of sight. Look around for a minute. Stop listening to only the media and use your eyes friend. Africa isn't as bad as it appears to be, and America isn't as good as we're told.

Instead of Internet quips, we should all step up and help those that we can. We'd want the same if the roles were reversed. Some of those people may have screwed up to get there, but someone of them were born in situations like that, or simply ran into problems they couldn't handle. Judge less, and love more.

Joe Goodwin FYI I donate to local food banks all the time. I feel bad for poor starving and oppressed people but on the same "Note" if I have the discretionary income to spend on 3 or 4 top of the line smartphones I'm going to spend the money.

Settle, down, people. Yes, America has poverty all over, so does Africa. I do help the needy, a job suitable for the private sector, not the government. Let's not wad panties on a tech site over a colloquialism.

Joe Goodwin I hear you man. PolitIcs and religion are pretty much guaranteed to cause senseless arguments. I sure hope these comments sections don't deteriorate into political/hate forums. I come to Android Central to get away from that stuff.

People who make the money should enjoy a few phones if they feel like it. It's the beauty of capitalism. It would be nice for those who are well off to contribute to local churches, food banks, non profits, etc. Of course vetted organizations. It seems the richest people are the most stingy, in my experience. Not always, of course. I'm middle class myself, but I give of my money freely

He seemed to have a legit question and you laugh? Looks like Mr. Niners fan boy knows everything. Actually, from the look of all his (know it all) posts maybe we should just direct all of our questions to him from now on. Ask about the G3, seems to know everything about that one. Constant repeat bashing of the 801, screen oversharpening, adreno blah blah blah...

I think LG did a great job this year with the G3 overall. It looks great, and the redesigned UI is a step in the right direction compared to the disgusting joke of a UI on the G2. Have any of you really seen Optimus UI on the G2?? It makes touchwiz on the GS4/ Note 3 seem elegant by comparison, lol. I don't know, the G2 being his favorite phone of 2p13 is a little suspect.

But really for all the good things the G3 offers, having only the SD 801 to push that 2k display is a big issue. Studder, lag, overheating, significantly lower benchmarks than other hardware with the same specs, a washed out display, and overall performance issues. I know it was a great marketing tactic to be the first to offer QHD on a smartphone, but if they'd of gone with full HD it would have been so much better imo.

While I'd love to have the 805 in my G3, I've never noticed any studder or lag in my G3. I don't use the stock launcher, so maybe that helps. I also don't feel like the display is washed out but I'm no expert on displays. I certainly don't see any performance issues with it. For a phone released in mid 2014, I feel it unfair to compare it to those that released late in the year with the 805.

I'm really happy with it and as long as the G4 is able to be rooted (maybe not with LP), I'll certainly purchase it.

It can certainly be compared to devices released with the SD 805 because it's only a marginal upgrade. It's the Adreno 420 gpu that's the significant upgrade over the 330. Whole the 801 and 805 are very similar, the problem is using the 801 to push a 2k display on a smartphone.

Performance issues can be minimal on the G3. And using another launcher does help (Optimus launcher on the G3 is prone to studder) bit if you pay attention. You'll notice occasional studder on general transition animations (fade animation when launching apps, etc.) Especially when RAM is approaching full use. Still a great phone though, and LG did an excellent job! SO much better than the G2, like night and day. Much like the note 4 compared to the note 3 in terms of UI, etc

I didn't get a G2 last year for the very reason you mentioned - the UI. Looked at it, played with it, loved the specs but just couldn't pull the trigger in the end. They fixed and pulled it back just enough this year that I was 100% on board with the G3 and I have no regrets whatsoever. Very happy with both build and performance. Anxious to see what's next.

I had the G3 for a week, which was all I could stand. The "Hello Kitty UI" was one of the main reasons I dumped it. That and the auto-brightness that kept the phone too dim most of the time. Didn't like the feel, either. That said, I can see why some will love it, but it wasn't for me.

Yeah mistakes happen. I haven't read any of the others staffs picks, I just looked at what they choose. I read your explanations because you choose different devices than the rest of the staff so I figured I'd read why you choose those devices. Good piece!

The world is sharing too much bad information these days, and worse, our youth is learning from it. Allowed by the laziness acquired from the point and click mentality we've built, from what I can tell. I'm sure the author appreciates your easy fix... Never have I heard someone say, "I love when my stuff gets all f_cked up because what I was told/shown/given was inaccurate/wrong." I doubt the author has either.

This just speaks to your own insecurities as a person. In no way does the typo take away from the content of the article. In my opinion, AC does a much better job with editing and content production than many paid news services. To nitpick the minor typos is just rude and serves no purpose. It's the internet, there will be some typos. Have a good day.